Rune Factory: Tale Of The Earthmate
by The Legend of Rune Factory
Summary: Kardia, a quiet town on the edge of the Norad, has always seen calm days and tranquil nights. However, after one of the residents takes in a young amnesiac woman, the peace shatters. Monsters threaten the village and the dormant Sechs Empire is suddenly stirring with activity. And all the answers lie in the caves surrounding them... *gender-swapped RF1*
1. Prologue

**A few years ago I posted this very same story. Some of you will recognize it. Others, dare I say MOST, will not. I feel the need to tell you, my dear reader, that this takes place during the first, the original, _Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon_. I have a vague feeling that many of you haven't played that game. You should; it was the best in the series. Or at least, back when turnips were radishes and Mist was a little less crazy. **

**For those of you that DO remember this story, I thank you for coming back to read it. This fic needed a major overhaul, so as you read you'll probably see places where I spruced up the dialogue or description. Also, "half chapters" are dead. Gone. Never to come back. **

**And thirdly, this fic will seem a bit odd to people at first, as it should. IT'S THE FIRST RUNE FACTORY GAME GENDER-BENT. Oh yes, Raguna is now a woman. Personally I think it all works out, but... Well, you be the judge. Without any further ado, I hope you enjoy the prologue to _Rune Factory: Tale Of The Earthmate_.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>"I will <em>never<em> serve you!"

A guard punched the teenage girl in the stomach. She doubled up in pain and proceeded to fall to the ground. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Bruises patterned her arms where she had been subject to relentless beating before.

"That should teach you to rebel!" He chuckled darkly.

She looked up at him. "You have no idea what this could cause… Why won't you just listen to me? I know what I'm doing, whereas you—"

The woman was cut off by the door opening. In walked a man with flaming red hair. Her eyes widened with recognition. He merely glared down at her. "Has she changed her mind yet?"

"No sir. Still insists on putting up a fight."

The man grabbed the front of her shirt. "You're just asking for pain, you know that?"

"Lorn, why are you doing this…?" She whispered, her eyes flickering over his face. "I thought… I thought we…"

"We have nothing." He carelessly and brutally threw her to the side. A flash of pain streaked across his face as he watched her slid across the metal floor.

She lay on the ground, breathing heavily. As she tried to get up, a hoarse groan slipped through her lips. "If you would just…listen to me…"

He knelt beside her. "Why would we even _think_ about doing that?" He turned to the guards. "Stand her up."

The girl was roughly forced to her feet. At a motion from the man, she was thrown into a chair, bands of leather strapped around her wrists, torso, and ankles. She struggled to get free weakly. "Please…" She begged, a few tears streaking down her face as she realized the futility of the situation.

"Not a chance. You wouldn't obey, so now we get the pleasure of forcing you." He approached her with a needle in his hand. Rolling up her sleeve, he jammed it into her arm. Then, he whispered gently (quietly so only she could hear), "I'm sorry. This is going to be a painful process. Don't worry; it'll all be over soon."

She looked at him quizzically for a moment, but then her eyes widened. A scream issued forth from her lips. It felt as though liquid fire was crawling through her veins at a snail's pace. With one last cry, her world went black. The last thing she saw was the man shaking his head and murmuring, "I'm so sorry…"

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><p><strong>Short, yes, but it gets the job done.<strong>

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**-LoRF**

**Don't forget to check out my blog here! aureliaknight!weebly!com (replace ! with .)**


	2. Ch 1: A New Life or Kardia

**This chapter is REALLY LONG. Just a warning. So, here's the official chapter one. This took me about an hour or two to edit (probably closer to two). I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Spring made its grand entrance a few days early in the forests separating the Sechs Empire from the Kingdom of Norad. Birds chirped as they flew from tree to tree, waking their brethren. Small animals, such as squirrels and mice and other petite mammals, scurried around the woodland floor searching for food after the winter. And in the middle of a small clearing a young woman laid, either unconscious or sleeping, none of the fauna could tell.<p>

Slowly, her eyes opened. She groaned and tried to turn onto her back. Pain shot through her body, causing her to cry out. After it subsided, she was able to get a look at where she was. Of course, she had no idea where she could possibly have come from in the first place, so she didn't have a clue as to where she could be at the current moment.

"Where… Where am I?" She asked no one in particular before looking down at herself peculiarly.

A thought crossed her mind. _Was that me?_ Glancing around, she affirmed her fear that she was completely and utterly alone. "Must be me…"

She didn't recall where she was, as she had never seen it before to her knowledge. She tried as hard as she could to remember something, _anything_, but merely hit a black wall in her memory. All her attempts were futile, and finally she came to the following conclusion: "I've lost my memory…?" Her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

She decided to walk around and try to find help. Slowly and painfully, she made it to her feet. It was then that she noticed how sore her muscles were, and the bruises that covered her body. "I wonder how I got those…"

A jacket was tied around her waist. She put it on to conceal the ugly marks. Walking forward, she tried yet again to remember. The earliest memory she had was waking up, but that was only a few moments ago.

Her mind went into overdrive as she pressed on, for what else could she possibly do? "What if I'm not from this country? Perhaps… Perhaps I'm really a royal. Or… Or an assassin. A deadly, trained assassin! No, that's impossible… I'm most likely a poor farm girl or something…" She found that the more she talked to herself, the more she calmed down. The sound of her own voice was somehow soothing in this strange situation, as if it let her know that all was not lost.

She saw a crystal-clear stream nearby, and stopped to stare at her reflection. "Oh well… Not bad. Not bad at all." She flashed a smile to herself as she studied her appearance. She had long chestnut-colored hair that was tied back with a silver ribbon, and her eyes were a deep blue. She was of decent height and seemed around sixteen years of age. Overall, she felt pleased with herself.

Then she looked at her clothes. Under her dark jacket was a tan short-sleeved shirt, and her pants were a dark gray color. She had on standard leather boots for shoes. A belt slithered around her waist, the belt buckle shined to a brilliant silver color. Fingerless gloves adorned her hands and seemed connected to the dark sleeves of cloth that went just above her elbows. "Just as I thought; I'm probably a farmer girl. Oh well."

After drinking from the stream, she continued on. The forest was huge. She had no idea where she was, and was soon lost. Day turned into night, and night turned to day. Hunger and thirst began taking over, and she lost strength. Too soon she lost track of all time and simply concentrated on moving forward.

It seemed hopeless. She was lost, had amnesia, and had no idea where she was going. To make things worse, she had lost her jacket to an animal one night. Thus, she shivered every few moments or so. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body. Never had Spring felt so cold.

Finally, after five days of wandering, she came upon a path. Following it, she came to a clearing. On one side of her was the forest still, but the other side held a house and the remainder of the path. She stood outside of it for a while. "Oh, how nice. I found someone." Then, she collapsed from exhaustion.

A young man rushed out of his home and to her side. "Who on earth—? Never mind." He shook her gently. "Hey, you all right? Come on, wake up!"

She stirred slightly, and opened her eyes. "Huh? Oh…" She looked up into his face. He had near black hair and emerald green eyes, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why that seemed so important to her. "Hi…"

"Are you ok?"

She sat up, disoriented. "I think so… Ungh…"

"You're not from this town… Are you a traveler or something?" He helped her stand and brushed the dust from her clothes.

"No, I'm not… I've been walking for days without any food or water…" She sighed wearily. She hadn't realized how weak she was until now. _And that's not even the beginning of my problems. _

He seemed surprised. "Hey, that's not good for you! Hold on, I'll get you something."

She waited patiently until he came out of his house again. "Here you go!" He handed her a farming hoe.

She looked at it, confusion evident on her face. "Uh…"

"Go ahead! Try it out!" He grinned happily.

"All right…" She swung downward with it. Although it was old and rusted, it still appeared to till the land very well.

He turned around to his house again. "I got something else for you."

"I hope it's real food this time…" Her stomach rumbled loudly then.

He returned with a watering can, which he shoved into her hands. "Also for you!"

Raising her eyebrows, she tested it as well. Except for a few holes, it worked great. She seriously doubted this young man's sanity. "I meant some food and drinking water, if you would…"

"Oh, duh! Sorry, it's just that I thought a hoe and a watering can would be more…you."

She said nothing, but smiled slightly. _Oh boy…_ He disappeared, and reappeared with some bread and water. She took it hungrily. "Thanks!"

As he watched her eat, he said, "Wow, you sure were hungry, huh?"

"Yeah, I was." Her mouth was full of food. She swallowed it in one gulp. "Hehe… Thank you. You saved my… Well, thank you anyway."

He nodded. "No problem. I'm Blade, by the way. Who're you?"

She shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I have no idea where I came from, where I'm going, or who I am."

"You have amnesia?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. Where am I, anyway?"

"You're in Kardia, at the edge of the Norad Kingdom." Blade thought a moment. "Anyway, everyone needs a name. Why don't you pick one? Just pick the first one off the top of your head."

She furrowed her eyebrows, deep in contemplation. A name came to her somewhere from the darkness of her mind. "Loquin."

"Loquin? That's…an uncommon name. I like it, though. All right, well… Loquin, do you have any plans after this?" He smiled at her in a reassuring fashion.

"To be truthful, no. I was just going to find someone who might know me and tell me what's going on. Or at least, hope to." She shrugged.

Blade nodded, understanding. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen you before in my life." He snapped his fingers as an idea crossed him. "Since you don't have any place to stay, would you mind staying with me?"

Loquin was taken aback. "Stay with you? What!"

"Yeah! I have a farm and a house to the north of here. Come on, I'll show you." He began walking off.

Loquin had no choice but to follow. Picking up her hoe and watering can, she jogged after him. They presently came to a run-down looking field and farmhouse. Blade smiled apologetically. "I know it's not much, but… You're welcome to stay if you want. I don't use the house, and I haven't worked on the field for a really long time…" He gestured toward it. It was overgrown with logs, weeds, rocks, and a few stumps.

As she looked over it, she gasped and her eyes widened. "I guess not!" Sighing, she glanced at him. "Well, thank you. I would love to stay here, you know, until my memory comes back or until someone finds me and takes me home. I owe you my life, Blade."

"Aw, don't mention it. I think you might regain your memories by farming for a while. You have potential, and I bet farming will help you in other ways, too. Ah, before I forget, there's—" Suddenly, a bolt hit the ground in front of him. A monster was standing there, growling.

He ducked behind Loquin. "It's an Orc! I thought only magic could bring them here!"

Loquin felt her muscles tense up as all thought left her mind except to fight the beast. "Do you have something I could fight with?"

"Use the hoe!" Blade shivered with fear. He had never encountered a monster before, or at least one of the wild nature.

She grabbed the hoe and approached the Orc. It swung a rickety-looking axe at her head. She jumped out of the way in time to whirl around with a swipe of her own. Her blow landed, and the Orc stumbled backward. With a growl it lunged toward her, but she managed to roll out of the way at the last moment.

Finally, Loquin slammed the blade of the hoe downward, and the Orc fell dead. It vaporized and turned into a small blue orb of light. The orb headed toward the heavens.

Loquin was breathing heavily, and her already sore muscles burned. "Did…I…kill it?" She asked, panting.

Blade shook his head as he came up to her. "No. But that was amazing! Did you learn swordsmanship somewhere?"

"I don't know… My memory…" She sighed. "But enough of that. What do you mean I didn't kill it? It's still lurking around here?"

"No. You sent its soul back to the First Forest, where all monsters come from. Tools and weapons enchanted with the magic of Retornen does that. Unless, of course, you disenchant your weapons and actually want to kill the monster."

She nodded. "Ah… I see… Anyway, before that happened, you were going to tell me something."

"Oh, right! The actual town of Kardia is north from here. You should introduce yourself to the villagers. And here are some radish seeds to begin with." He handed her a small packet. "Sorry, it's all I have on me at the moment. After your radishes are ready, you can put them in the shipping box over there, and Ross can come pick them up. But you'll have to go to town and ask Jean to learn more."

Her head was spinning from the sudden influx of information. "Aha…"

"Just go to town tomorrow and find everything out. Don't worry. Do you need to know anything, or are you good to go?"

"I think I got it… Thank you, Blade, for doing this for a complete stranger. I don't know what I would've done."

He blushed. "Well, what else are you supposed to do when a girl collapses at your doorstep?"

She giggled. "No clue."

"Well, Loquin, I'll see you around. You know where my house is now, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to come. Oh, and every day at noon I'll come by and see how you're doing. Bye!" He waved and walked off.

Loquin looked at the seeds in her hand. "Hmmm…"_ Farming can't be too bad. I mean, I'm obviously strong enough to farm… I probably shouldn't do too much today. I don't have the strength._ She took up her hoe and quickly tilled out nine plots, sowing the seeds afterward.

She read the packet. "Takes only four days to grow. Wow, this is going to be easy. All I gotta do is water them every day." She stuck the packet in her back pocket and went into her new house.

It was small, perfect for one or two people. A bed was in the corner, along with a bedside table. A calendar hung on the post. She noticed there was room for a kitchen and other home improvements, which she figured she would have to buy and install herself. Sighing, she went over to her bed.

_Ugh, I just noticed something: I don't have any extra clothes…_ She wrinkled her nose in disgust as it dawned on her. "Better go ask Blade if there's a clothing store in town…"

She walked right back out of her house and down the path to Blade's. She knocked on his door timidly, and he opened it with a smile. "Hi, Loquin! Run into trouble on your first day?"

"Um… Actually, I was wondering if there was someplace I might be able to purchase clothing… I mean, I don't have anything else to wear…" Her face turned a scarlet color as she admitted this embarrassing fact.

"Yeah, the general store. It opens at nine tomorrow morning. You can go then and get some stuff." He beamed. "Of course, you also might want to invest in getting those clothes patched up."

She looked down at herself. There were many small holes and tears all over her outfit, and one of her boots had a cut across the top of it. "Right… Hehe, thanks." She smiled and began leaving.

"No problem. See you tomorrow, Loquin!"

She walked back to her house. After once again getting ready to rest, she noticed a journal on the table. She picked it up with a shrug. _Might as well keep track of what I do…_

Finding the date from the calendar, she began:

_Spring 1__st__, Holiday:_

_ This is a little weird for me. I mean, five days ago I was waking up under the sun with a headache the size of the Norad kingdom, and no memory. I don't feel quite so bad now, but I still don't have my memories back!_

_ I met a nice (and admittedly good-looking) boy named Blade. He willingly gave me his farm to take care of. I'm glad he did, because I would still be lost without him. _

_ Although, I think part of the reason he gave it to me was thanks for defeating an Orc. For some odd reason, I felt like I had done that a billion times over, and it was pretty easy. Of course, I haven't eaten anything for five days, so… I don't know, it was just weird._

_ At least I can stay somewhere until I find myself. I don't want to be a burden to this little town called Kardia. So, as soon as my memories come back, I'm leaving and going back home. I'm sure I have parents that are wondering what happened to me…I hope. I don't want to find out I'm an orphan. That would be awful._

Satisfied with her work, she closed the journal and crawled beneath the sheets. For the first time in a long time, she fell asleep comfortable, warm, and happy.

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><p><strong>She likes to talk to herself, apparently... I actually cut out a lot of that, so if you think there's a bunch in the edited version, the original had so much more. <strong>

**Reviews are appreciated! (And by appreciated, I mean highly suggested.)**

**-LoRF**


	3. Ch 2: Meetings

**This chapter is also insanely long. When I originally wrote this, obviously I believed in long times between updates and long chapters... Or I just didn't have a life. One of the two. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed/thought vaguely about reviewing. You guys rock! To Random Fandom: Yes, all the gender swaps are the same. Thanks for coming back to the reboot of this story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Our dear heroine awoke at six o'clock <em>sharp<em> the next morning. Groaning, she got out of bed and stretched. Her muscles weren't quite so sore now, and she felt almost as good as she had before she lost her memory…or so she assumed. After making her bed and trying to straighten her rumpled clothing, she started toward the door.

Someone else opened it before she could even reach for the doorknob. A tall, lavishly dressed young man stomped in, followed by a large fellow with eccentric clothes and a huge stomach. They both stood rudely in the doorway, looking around.

"Good morning! Can I help you with anything?" Loquin smiled in an attempt to seem cheerful and hospitable.

"Ahaha! My son heard someone new moved in and wanted to see who it was," The large man laughed.

The young one, presumably his son, sniffed before he wrinkled his nose in a well-practiced polite fashion. "Father, let's go. It smells like farm here."

"Oh, it does? I hadn't noticed. Well, see you around, miss!" With that, he turned and followed his son out the door.

Loquin stood in place, trying to comprehend anything that happened in the last fifteen seconds. Shrugging, she rolled her eyes. _Of course it smells like farm, seeing as how it is one. How absurd._ Shaking her head, she actually made it out the door this time.

Then, she remembered what Blade had said. _"Every day at noon I'll come by and see how you're doing." _"Gotta be presentable!" She scolded herself mentally for forgetting something so trivial, yet also something that was pivotally important. This could be the difference between a good or bad impression on anyone she met.

She found the silver ribbon that had tied her hair back yesterday, running her fingers over the material. _This feels expensive… I'd better take care of it._ With that, she fashioned her hair into a low ponytail and left for work.

After watering her few crops, she decided to clean up the field a little. Weeds, grass, herbs, rocks, branches, stumps, and boulders were everywhere. She gave an exasperated sigh and began picking up what she could. "Hmm… I could gain some money from this decorative grass… After all, I do need to make a living, and my darn radishes won't be ready for another three days…" She mumbled to herself as she worked.

After she had filled up her pack, she took it to her house and stacked the items neatly against the wall. Glancing at her clock, she saw it was nine thirty. "Time to go meet the townspeople, I guess…" Shaking her head she decided that she could probably stop talking to herself like some sort of mentally unstable person.

In no time at all she had walked the path from her house and stood in the entrance to Kardia itself. It seemed to be a nice place, full of inviting buildings and sharply placed decorative plants. The cobblestone street wound up through the town. Loquin decided to go to the first shop on the left. _This must be the general store…_ Timidly, she walked in.

A blonde boy was placing items on a shelf. His father turned to him. "Ross, should I put these here?"

"What?" The young man exclaimed loudly. "Father, those go over there! Honestly, without me to help run this place, we would've gone under years ago."

"Of course." His father smiled half-heartedly.

Loquin walked up to them. The apparently named Ross noticed her. "Hey there. Name's Ross. Who're you?"

"I'm Loquin…" She gulped nervously as she stood before the seemingly gruff store owner.

A look of surprise crossed his face. "Oh, you're the one Blade took in! Lemme guess, he gave you the potential speech, didn't he?"

"Well, a little of it… I had to save him from an Orc before he could really get into it." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Oh. Well, anyway, since you're obviously farming here, come on by anytime." He smiled widely. "My house is an item store, so you know, get seeds and stuff here."

She nodded. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

He shrugged and walked off to another corner of the store. His father came over to her. "Hello. I'm Jean, and I own this store. What did you say your name was? I was pricing items."

"Loquin. I'm the one staying at Blade's farm down the road."

Jean broke out in laughter. "So you're the one he got his hands on!"

"I guess if you want to put it that way… I'm grateful he took me in."

"I know. It's just that he can be a bit odd sometimes. You know?"

She nodded. "Believe me, I know… Oh, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Loquin beckoned him closer. "I was wondering what else you sell besides seeds."

"Oh, a variety of things. Some cookware, accessories, clothing… Household items, really."

She brightened at the mention of clothing. "Excellent! I may be back later. Thanks!"

As she was leaving, Ross caught her arm. "Something I forgot to tell you: at five each evening, I'll come by and pick up your shipping boxes. Make sure they're full! You can put anything you want in them, like rocks, weeds, fish…anything!"

She nodded. "Ok. Thanks!"

He let her go, and she dashed outside. "All right, first store down…a lot more to go." She sighed heavily as she started to the next building. It had a large cross on the top. _I think I found the doctor's office… _She shook herself of the slightly frightened feeling that overcame her as she reached for the doorknob.

She walked in slowly and silently closed the door behind her. From the next room she heard someone say, "Hey, are you ok? You don't look so good."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Luke… Dr. Edward?"

"Yes, you do seem a bit tired. Being the mayor must really take it out of you. Luke, fetch me the usual, will you?"

The first voice, Luke, chirped, "You got it, Dr. E!" Loquin giggled softly to herself. Such humor was random in such a desolate place.

While she busied herself trying not to laugh aloud and examining the waiting room, the three men in the next room continued to talk. Loquin straightened up when an important-looking man walked by her, paying no attention.

She went into the room. There was a brown-haired man, and another young one that looked her age. She waved shyly. "Good morning…"

A young man with pinkish-red hair waved back. "Hey! Are you the girl Blade took in?"

"Yeah. I'm Loquin. Are… Are you Luke? I heard someone call you that." She grinned.

"Yep! This is Dr. Edward. I'm working under him to take over the clinic when he retires." He gestured to the man in a white lab coat.

The older man stared at Loquin. He wiggled his mustache thoughtfully. "I am Dr. Edward, the doctor of this town. If you're ever feeling a bit under the weather, come see me. And be careful in the field that you don't work yourself too hard, or you might collapse."

"Thank you. I'll keep an eye on that." Loquin smiled at him, and waved to Luke again.

As she walked out of the clinic, she giggled, both from Luke's strange outburst and from being glad she was out of the clinic. _Luke seems nice. I wouldn't mind getting to know him better._ She straightened up and looked at her next target.

The next building was rather large, and quite formal-looking. She opened the door with a gasp. Books lined huge shelves that reached all the way to the high ceiling. _This is obviously the library…_

A man walked past Loquin with a, "I'm going back to work. Sorry to have bothered you, Russell!"

Loquin went up to the desk. A middle-aged man with glasses was organizing some books on his desk. He looked up at her, adjusting his spectacles. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Um, I'm just looking around. I just came to town, you see, and I'm exploring."

"Ah, you are the one that came to Blade's farm… I'm Russell. Pleased to meet you." He extended his hand.

Loquin shook it timidly. "I'm Loquin. Nice to meet you too, Russell. So, I assume this is the library?"

"Yes. Feel free to take a look around. We have some interesting books for sale as well, and sometimes magic books come in. However, we don't get those very often."

"Oh. Thank you." She started toward an aisle of bookshelves. She caught sight of a blonde boy skimming through a book in his hand. She walked up to him.

He didn't notice her presence in the slightest. She peered over his shoulder. "What are you reading?"

"Eyagh!" He jumped and stepped backward.

She giggled. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

He pushed his glasses up his nose and closed the book. "Just…the legend of the dragon gods… I'm T-Trenton. But you c-can call me Trent…if you want…" He held the book against his chest tightly, almost as if he were fighting the great urge to hide behind it.

"Hello, Trent. I'm Loquin." She smiled warmly to atone for scaring him.

A look of surprise crossed his face. "Oh, so you're the one…that came to Blade's farm…" He took a deep breath. "Well…come to the library again sometime…" His face slowly began to turn scarlet.

Loquin nodded. "Of course. See you around, Trent." She waved and headed back to the door. She smiled at Russell before she left.

All day she kept this up. She met Lady Ann, the mother of Trent and his sister Selina (whoever that was) and owner of the local inn; Mei, a foreigner that was staying in Kardia; Sabrina and Nicholas, the small family living on the beach; Wesley, the minister and Luke's father; Mayor Godwin and his son Felix; Carmen, a strange girl who was oddly good at the more masculine side of life, like farming and construction, and was also Dr. Edward's daughter; Neumann, the owner of a rival farm to Carmen's; Mel, the owner of the public bath house; Leo the blacksmith; Sharron, a strange woman who lived outside the ruins; and finally, Loquin came upon the de Sainte-Coquille mansion. Almost afraid the touch the grand doors, she pushed them open.

A large foyer met her. Two staircases glided upward into the upper level of the house. She recognized the young man from earlier standing on the balcony.

He seemed angry. "Toby! The outfit you picked out for me today just isn't working out. I need a new one, pronto!"

A butler hurried up to him. He was wearing a black hat along with this butler's uniform, and tufts of bluish hair poked out from under the brim. "I'm sorry; a country boy like me always gets things wrong!" He spoke with a heavy accent of some sort.

"Toby, you may be from the country, but you've worked in Kardia for years now! Never mind that. Just get me some new clothes."

Suddenly, a door opened. The portly man stepped out next to the two young men. "What are you talking about, Bill? I think those clothes look very becoming. They make you look handsome. It'll be a wonder if the women can keep their hands off you."

"See? Father thinks these are good enough!" The son waved his hand angrily.

The man's face went blank. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Toby, just worry about getting me something better for tomorrow."

Toby grinned. "Got it, Master Bill."

Loquin walked up the stairs to the three men. "Hello. I'm Loquin. I think two of you came to my house earlier today."

"Right. I'm Jasper de Sainte-Coquille, and this is my son, Bill. Oh, and the butler is Toby." Jasper grasped Loquin's hand and began shaking it furiously.

Bill crossed his arms and turned. Toby smiled warmly. "'Ello. You're the one that came to Blade's farm?"

"Y-yes, that's m-me." The force from Jasper's handshake was jostling her up and down.

Jasper let go of her. "Well, Loquin, welcome to Kardia. If you ever come across a delicacy, bring it to me and I might reward you." He licked his lips at the thought.

"Will do. See you all." She waved and left.

As soon as she was alone, she gave a long sigh. "Oh my… How will I ever remember all these people?"

She started walking back home. She decided to walk along the beach for a while to relax. As she turned into the beach, she saw someone she hadn't met yet. Walking up to her, she saw it was a little girl with long pointed elf ears and bright green eyes.

She was looking at a rock in her hands. "This one's a nice one, isn't it?" She asked sweetly.

Loquin couldn't help but smile. This little girl was adorable. "Yes, it is. Is that your treasure?"

"Yeah… Are you the one that came to Blade's?" She looked up into Loquin's face.

"Yes. My name is Loquin. What's yours?"

The little girl straightened importantly. "I'm Cecilia, but you can call me Ceci." She pointed to herself.

"All right, Ceci."

"Hey, Loquin, if you ever find any more pretty stones like this, give them to me, ok?"

Loquin grinned even wider. "I'll do that. See you around, Ceci."

Ceci waved happily and continued to look for stones. Loquin kept walking home. _She's so cute… She was with Nicholas earlier when I went into the church. They must be good friends._

When she made it to her house, she scribbled an entry in her journal, and turned in for the night. She knew that she would be here for a long while to come…

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><p><strong>I can't tell you how aggravated I was with myself when I was editing this and she just kept talking to herself ALL THE TIME. Gah, I was an idiot when I started this three years ago...<strong>

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**-LoRF**


	4. Ch 3: The Spring Festival

**Sorry I couldn't get this up yesterday. My Internet decided that it wanted to stop working temporarily. Anyway, this here's also a long chapter, of course, I don't think anyone minds much. Enjoy chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>A few weeks passed pleasantly. Loquin kept her farm in the best condition as she possibly could; she tilled many more plots and now practically all of it was cultivated. Currently she was leaning on her hoe, taking a small break from work, and she smiled as she thought of all the time and patience she had put into it.<p>

Blade came walking down the path. She brightened when she saw him. They had since become friends and she enjoyed his company. He often brought her lunch and a drink when he came at noon, because he knew she wouldn't think of stopping for a break.

They sat in the shade of a tree by the well. Loquin took a drink from the water bottle, and some of it dribbled down her chin. Embarrassed, she wiped it away, leaving a streak of dirt in its place.

Blade smiled. "Loquin, you've got something right here."

"Oh. Dang it." She again wiped it off, and finally her skin was clear.

He looked away. "Well…tomorrow's the Spring Festival…"

"What's that?" She asked, swallowing the food he brought.

"It's a festival where boys give the girls they like cookies." He shrugged passively. "It's completely optional, though."

"Oh, that's it? Hm, well, it'll be a good time to socialize, I guess…" She was thoughtful. "Anyone in particular you want to give cookies to?" She winked playfully.

He blushed slightly at her question. "Well… I hadn't really thought about it. I know Selina will want me to give her some, though."

"Who is Selina, anyway? I haven't met her yet."

Blade got to his feet. "Come on, I think she might be helping her mom with the inn today. I'll introduce you."

He grabbed Loquin's wrist and dragged her toward town. She was stumbling through the streets, never actually having caught her balance. He blasted through the door and stopped suddenly. She crashed into him and they both went toppling over in the lobby.

"Blade, what are you doing with her?"

They both looked up. A girl was glaring critically down at them, her hands on her hips. She had long brown-blonde hair that was kept back with the pair of goggles she wore on her head.

"Uh…" Blade started.

"No, don't say it! How? Why? Why her, Blade? Why not me?" She shook her head sadly.

Loquin pushed herself off of Blade and dusted herself off. "I have a name, you know. And, it happens to be Loquin. I'm sorry if I accidentally fell on him."

Blade stood up and nodded. "There's nothing going on between us. Haven't you ever heard of an accident?"

"Yes…" She looked away. "It's just that, well…"

Loquin shook her head. "Never mind. So, are you Selina? You're the reason we even came here. I hadn't met you yet."

"Yes. I'm Selina." She turned to Blade. "So… Who are you giving cookies to tomorrow?" She smiled suggestively.

Blade fought the urge to grimace. "Um… No one, yet. I probably won't even give cookies tomorrow."

The smile on Selina's face vanished. "Oh. Well, that's too bad."

"Listen, as much fun as it is talking to you two, I have to get back to work. See you around." Loquin promptly turned and left.

Blade sighed as he watched after her. "I should probably be going too. Bye."

With that, Selina was left standing in the inn. She frowned deeply as she leaned in the doorway. "You better not even think about giving any to her…"

That night, after the work was done and Loquin was alone in her house, she sighed heavily. "Honestly…" She looked around. She had been given this house by Blade, and had been offered a chance to renew her life because of him. Surely that was enough to allow her to feel specially toward him, right?

She pulled out her journal. Page after page was filled. She flipped to a clean page, and began writing.

_Spring 17__th__, Thursday_

_ I've been here for…nearly three weeks. I like it here. Kardia certainly is a nice place to live. Working the land is interesting, and fishing is kind of fun, too. _

_ I think the only thing keeping me going is Blade. He comes every day to check up on me, and he usually brings me something for lunch. I may have a kitchen and such now, but no one says I know how to use it! Perhaps I should learn. Russell has some books on cooking in the library._

_ Tomorrow is the Spring Festival. Apparently it's when boys give the girls they like cookies or something like that. Blade didn't seem to want to talk about it much. Almost like he was…embarrassed?_

_ As much as I hate to admit it, I half hope he gives me something. I mean, I enjoy cookies, and I'm sure he's a wonderful cook. Yes… However, that Selina girl seems to want his cookies as well._

_ She's Trent's sister. And, unlike him, she's not shy at all. In fact, she basically admitted her feelings for Blade in front of both of us. Something about her grinds on my nerves. She seems…too competitive and such. _

_ I just hope that Blade feels confident enough to give at least one person cookies. I don't want him to go through life single! At least one girl, that's all I ask. Even if it isn't me. Although, I wouldn't have any complaints if it were. _

_ I don't know why he's having this strong of an effect on me. I have farming to worry about and memories to regain, even though they don't seem to want to come back anytime soon. I don't want to admit I like him. Blade is a friend. A very good friend. _

_ Oh for goodness' sake, I love the man._

She slammed the journal shut and turned scarlet at the mention of the last sentence. _I do love him anyway… I guess I should ask Lady Ann what to do. She seems like she would know._

She got into her pajamas (now that she actually had other clothes, although she tended to wear nearly the same thing every day, just in different colors), and crawled into bed. She sighed, and felt her heart thump unevenly. _I'm just excited about tomorrow._ Finally, after what seemed like hours, she drifted off into sleep.

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><p>Loquin finished watering all her crops as fast as she could and ran into town. All the townspeople were out and about, laughing and talking happily. The boys held small bags of cookies and eyed the girls warily.<p>

She walked up to Lady Ann, who was speaking with Mayor Godwin. "Lady Ann, may I speak with you a moment?"

Ann nodded. "Hold on, Mayor. I'll be back in a minute." She walked off to the side with Loquin. "Yes?"

"Um… I was wondering…" Loquin faltered. She was slowly turning bright red.

Lady Ann smiled. "Does this have to do with the festival?"

"Well, kind of… I wanted to know how you would handle feelings of affection toward another person of the opposite gender that you technically have no right to feel that way toward." She fidgeted with her hands awkwardly.

Ann chuckled and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder gently. "Just go with whatever your heart tells you. You'll know what to do if you let it run its course."

Loquin nodded. "Thank you. That's what I needed to know."

"Don't worry about it. Now, go enjoy yourself. I have a feeling a lot of the men have been waiting for you to arrive." She looked in the direction of the main body of boys. "Yes, definitely waiting for you. Be prepared to have a lot of cookies stocked up, Loquin."

"Oh boy."

Ann smiled and left to go back to Mayor Godwin. Loquin began slowly walking past the group to go to the beach. They followed her at a distance. She felt her skin begin to crawl, and annoyance poked at her.

As she reached the beach, she saw Blade standing on the edge of the pier. She ran up to him. "Hi, Blade! I was hoping I would see you sometime today!"

He waved. "Hey. Um, Loquin, I was—"

He was cut off by Mel, who tapped Loquin on the shoulder. "Loquin, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, I guess so…" She flashed an apologetic smile at Blade, and followed Mel to the beach, where all the other boys were waiting. _Oh no… Please don't…_

She wanted to disappear. Lady Ann was right; they were all waiting for her. She was like the new toy in the general store: everyone wanted it. And, all the boys found her refreshing after being with the same girls for years.

Mel pulled out a bag of cookies and thrust them in her arms. "Happy Spring Festival!" He exclaimed, grinning.

Loquin's face flushed a bright scarlet color. "Thank you…I think…" She hoped desperately that the other men were only there to encourage him.

She was out of luck. All of them gave her something, even shy Trenton. "H-here, Loquin… Happy Spring Festival…" He had mumbled.

"Thanks, guys… This has really been a new experience for me, I'm sure…" She was attempting to shove the cookies into her pack.

They all grinned and took off, congratulating themselves. Then, they decided to give some other girls cookies. Carmen, Selina, and another girl Loquin didn't know walked up to her.

Carmen put her hands on her hips. "Quite the popular one, aren't we?"

"I suppose… I hope they won't be offended if I sell most of them. I need the money." Loquin noticed the new girl. "Oh, hi. I'm Loquin. I don't think we've met."

The girl sighed dramatically. "Of course we have not. You have been too busy cultivating the earth to notice!"

"Uh…sure…"

"I am Luna, a traveling poet. How nice to make your acquaintance."

Loquin nodded. "Yeah, same here." She saw Selina giving her death glares. "No, Selina, none of these are from Blade!"

Selina gave a breath of relief. "Oh, good! I was hoping he wouldn't." She smirked in a self-satisfied way.

"Selina, that's not very nice, you know." Carmen sighed. "Never mind, though." She turned her attention back to Loquin. "I can't believe all of them gave you cookies! You're going to be hard to compete with for affection."

Loquin shrugged. "I'm not all that interested in men yet. I mean, I'm more concerned about making sure my crops don't die."

"Well, you keep making sure! I'm going to go show Ross my fantastic poetry skills. Later, girls!" Luna skipped happily off.

Selina watched, and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to talk to Blade. And you better not follow, Loquin!" She went to the pier.

"I'd better go, too. See you later." With a nod, Carmen left.

Loquin sighed. "Wow…" She decided to go back to her farm. Once there, she went to a tree by the edge of the stream and pulled out her fishing rod. She leaned against it and watched her bobber in the water. She began nibbling on a cookie, but spit it out almost immediately. "Ugh!" _Some of these men need to learn how to cook!_

The afternoon sun played on the water, making it sparkle. Loquin felt herself growing tired. She always got that way when she was comfortable, fishing, and content. Her eyelids grew heavy and soon she dozed off. Everything was at peace except for the nagging tugging in her hand. It kept tugging and tugging and tugging…

Loquin snapped her eyes open. A fish was swimming around, trapped on her fishing hook. With one pull, it was soon flopping on the bank. She unhooked it and put it in her pack. "Cherry salmon, around ten centimeters."

After a few hours, she put her pole up and headed toward her house. She stopped at the door when she noticed the small bag on the doorstep. "Hm?" She picked it up and found a note attached to it. "To Loquin, from Blade." She blushed lightly. _So he did want to give me cookies… How sweet._

With a smile she walked inside.

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><p><strong>There used to be a really annoying dream thing she has when she falls asleep involving the orc fight at the beginning of the game, but I took it out because, well, it was just annoying. <strong>

**The next chapter will be pretty exciting, if I do say so myself, so you'll definitely want to stay tuned! In the meantime, why don't you take a few minutes to review? I accept all sorts, so people who don't have an account or aren't logged in can leave one as well. Please and thank you!**

**-LoRF**


	5. Ch 4: Carmite Cave

**As promised, this is one is a lot more exciting than the previous chapters (in my opinion) and thankfully shorter. Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>The next Monday, the 20th of Spring, Loquin decided to quit farming a bit earlier than usual and explore, for since she arrived in Kardia she had only farmed or fished. She walked down to Blade's house and saw a path that led away from it. Having never noticed it previously and feeling curious, she turned to walk down it.<p>

She came upon a cave leading deep into the rock. A sign was stuck outside of it, and she read it softly to herself. "Carmite Cave. Unauthorized entry prohibited. Signed, Godwin, Mayor of Kardia. Carmite Cave Climate: Temperate climate favors spring vegetables." She frowned. "Well, fine then. I better go to Godwin."

Sighing, she went to town. The shops were just opening up, and she saw Carmen in her farm, taking care of her monsters. Waving, she called, "Morning, Carmen!"

She smiled and waved back. Then, she disappeared into another monster hut. Loquin walked on until she came to Godwin's house.

She opened the door and went in. Felix and his dad were talking in the living room. "Mayor Godwin?" She approached both men timidly, not wanting to interrupt.

He turned to look at her. "Ah, Loquin, hello. Come in, make yourself at home."

"Actually, I was just wondering if I could get a pass to Carmite Cave." She looked at Felix. He had a horrified expression on his face.

"I suppose I could issue you one. Just be careful, Loquin. It's dangerous." He gave her a slip of paper, which she put in her pack.

As she was walking out, Felix stopped her. "Loquin, please… Be very careful. If you don't have a sword, you'd better get one from Leo. There're monsters in there. Big ones."

She nodded with a smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." With another nod to Godwin, she turned on her heel and walked out. She made her way down to Leo's shop for a weapon. When she went in she saw that he was hard at work by the forge. "Hey Leo!"

He stopped and turned around. "Loquin, what brings you 'ere? Need a sword or somethin'?" He cocked his head at her, weighing his hammer in his hands.

She nodded. "Yep. I need a sword and a shield if you have one. I'm heading to Carmite Cave."

"I got something perfect for t'at. 'Old on." He went to a rack of weapons and shields, searched around for a moment, and came back with a simple broadsword. "'Ere you are. Perfect for beginners. That'll be eight hundred gold pieces."

Grumbling, she fished the money out of her pocket. "Thanks, Leo." She took the items, and headed back to Carmite.

Upon her arrival in the cave, she saw a strange machine. "What's that?" She asked aloud to no-one in particular.

"I don't know. It seems to be summoning the monsters, though."

She turned around. Blade stood behind her. "Blade, what are you doing here?"

"I saw you walk down here from my house, so I came to investigate." He shrugged. "Anyway, what do you think?"

"I agree. I guess if I destroy that thing then the monsters will stop appearing, maybe…?" She walked up to him. "In the meantime, you'd best get back home. Not only do you not have a pass, but I don't see a sword on you anywhere."

"Yeah, well…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, before I forget, here's a spell book. Use that, and you'll be transported back to this spot." He started walking out, but turned back at the last minute. "Loquin… I want you to be careful. If you die in here, I'll never forgive you."

She smiled warmly. "I'll be as careful as I can. Don't worry." She quickly hugged him and ran off into the recesses of the cave.

He tried to hold onto the split-second warmth her body gave him, but unfortunately, it left before he got a chance to truly relish the moment. He kicked at the ground. "Good luck…" With that, he turned and walked slowly back home.

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><p>Loquin felt like she was nearing the end of the cave. It had been a long day…or night. She couldn't tell how long she had been in Carmite Cave. Finally, she destroyed the last machine and leaned against the wall for breath. "Oh great, there's <em>another<em> room!" She cried, anguished at having to fight yet another Orc, or Goblin, or… Or who-knows-what other monster.

She shook herself and walked in. Immediately she gasped. "What the heck is that thing?"

There was a giant monster hunched in the middle of the room. It snarled angrily at her as soon as she walked in. It had small wings like a bat attached to its back, but it walked like a monkey on giant paws outfitted with monstrous claws that she knew could end her life in one swipe.

"What's a Greater Daemon doing here?"

She whirled around. "My question is what you're doing here! It's dangerous, Blade!" Inwardly she groaned. Hadn't she just lectured him on this before?

"I'm sorry; I just…wanted to see how you're doing. But anyway, you have to send it back! Can't you see it's scared?"

"That thing is scared? I'm probably gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life!"

Blade looked at her sternly. "You have to send it back to the First Forest, Loquin. I'm counting on you."

She sighed and gripped her sword tighter. "All right. Back up; this could get dangerous."

He did as told and watched on as Loquin rushed at the demon. It pounded the ground hard, sending her reeling. She hit the ground with a dull thud, but jumped back up unscathed.

Blade worried for her safety. She was obviously capable of defeating it, but at what cost? He cheered her on nonetheless. Then, he winced as she took a hit. "Ouch… That's gonna hurt in the morning…"

She was bleeding from a gash in her side. She gritted her teeth against the growing pain and rushed again. Swiping at the monster's underside, she had just enough time to roll out of the way as it pounded the ground again. With a final slash, the Greater Daemon fell to the ground, obviously and thankfully dead.

It took a while for its bulk to dissolve into an orb, but once it did, it soared toward the heavens. Blade grinned. "Great job, Loquin! You're—Loquin? Loquin, are you all right?"

Her sword clattered to the ground, and she collapsed to her knees. She held her side, where her blood seeped through her fingers and dripped onto the ground. Blade knelt beside her and laid his hand on her shoulder. "You're hurt…" He felt his heart begin to beat fast as he began to panic.

With a groan, she toppled over and felt reality slide in and out. Her head was pounding. Blade shook her gently. "Loquin, just hold on! I'll get you to town, just hold on!"

She whimpered painfully. "I'm sorry… I said I would be careful…"

"Don't worry about it." He quickly scooped her up in his arms. She had long since slipped into unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>Oh, first-cave failures. You'll get there eventually, Loquin, just keep trying... So, whenever I see the signs to the caves in the game, I keep imagingin Godwin pulling a Gandalf and shouting, "NONE SHALL PASS!" at Raguna when he tries to get a pass...<strong>

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**-LoRF**


	6. Ch 5: Recovery or Embarrassment

**Sorry it's been a little while! I've been busy with theatre stuff, and in all honesty, I sorta forgot about this story... I've been uploading a lot of stuff on FictionPress though *hint hint*. Anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>She could feel herself waking up. With a faint moan, her dark-blue eyes fluttered open just to see Luke standing over her. "Morning, sleepy-head." He smiled widely.<p>

"Unh… What happened?" Her head throbbed and she found it difficult to focus.

"Blade brought you in here. You've been asleep for the past two days. He's been taking care of your farm and coming to see you when he's done." He motioned to a chair, which held the sleeping form of Blade. "See?"

"Oh…" She looked over at him. "Hey, wake up…" She weakly nudged him.

He stirred with a yawn. "Just a few more minutes…"

She giggled softly. "Now, please."

"Fine…" He opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. "Loquin! You're awake!"

She nodded. "Hi…"

Luke smiled to himself. "You two… Anyway, Loquin, Dr. Edward wants you to stay here for another day. He wants to make sure your side won't open up again." With that, he left them alone.

Blade gazed at her intently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure…" She winced. "I feel like I did when I first woke up in the forest a few weeks ago with no memory."

"Yeah… You're pretty beat up. Slashed your side open." He gently laid his hand on hers.

She sighed bitterly. "Oh, that's great… Just what I need for farming."

"Hey, don't worry. I've been taking care of the farm for you. It's doing great."

"Thanks for that, by the way. I don't know what I would have done." She suddenly coughed. Her side burned with the motion, however small.

He got up to leave. "You get some rest. I'll come back for you tomorrow."

"Bye, Blade. And…thanks again. For everything."

"No problem." He smiled warmly and walked out.

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><p>The next day, he helped her back to her house. She had to lean on him heavily as they walked slowly. "You know, I wonder how I can tame monsters. I found some that I want." She thought about the adorable chipsqueaks she met as she spoke.<p>

"I know Carmen can build you a monster hut, but beyond that I don't know. You might want to ask Toby. He knows a lot about monsters." Blade opened her door to the house and let her inside.

She turned back to him. "Aren't you coming in?"

"No." He shook his head, black hair waving around. "I was just gonna go check on your field and then go back to my house."

"Oh. Well, my door's open if you need me." She shrugged and went to her bed.

"Yeah…" He slowly closed the door, and proceeded to the field.

Loquin sighed as she lay down. She had been unconscious for the past two days; she could only imagine what sort of things Selina was thinking.

_"I bet she only did that for Blade's sympathy."_

_ "Yeah right, it wasn't an accident! She just wanted Blade!"_

_ "Oh, I'm sure she's nice and safe with Blade there, and did that to make him feel bad. It's her fault, anyway!"_

She grinned with a twisted sort of pleasure. Of course Selina would assume that she hurt herself on purpose for Blade. After all, Selina_ was_ obsessed with the man. Then she thought of something else.

_"She's lucky. I would do anything to be in his arms, even if I was knocked out at the time. It's really sweet." _

_I suppose I am lucky… I mean, I would've died if he wasn't there. _It was then that she realized how much she actually owed him: her life.

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><p>By the end of the week, Loquin was working outside and such again. Of course, she had to be careful not to aggravate her side too much, or that would've led to two things: a very big, bloody mess, and a very angry Dr. Edward. To avoid that problem, she only did what she absolutely had to. Blade helped her a lot and did what she couldn't.<p>

Currently in the bright afternoon, she went over by a tree and sat down against it. She tried to calm her breathing, and eventually succeeded. Blade came and sat next to her, but at a slight distance. "So, how're you doing?"

"Fine. Just…fine." She smiled. "I'm glad you're worried about me, but unless something is wrong, you can stop asking if I'm all right every five seconds."

"Heh, right. Do you still want that monster hut?"

"Yes. I was going to go see if Carmen would build me one." She made a motion to get up.

He stopped her. "Hey, I'll do it. You relax."

"All right, then." She watched him run off. "Meh. You're sure eager to help me a lot…"

She felt over the few bandages still wrapped around her abdomen, sealing the gash in her side. _I learned something from that fight: never underestimate your foe. Especially if it's a giant angry monkey with claws._

Presently, Blade came back with Carmen, who started construction right away. Loquin cocked her head. "How long is that going to take?"

"A few hours. She's very fast." Blade sat by her again.

"Hm, I see. And how much do I owe you?"

Carmen called from where she was building, "Nothing! I heard about the accident, and it's on the hut!" She burst out laughing at her pun.

Loquin's face went blank. "Wow… Someone gets their sense of humor from their dad…"

Blade chuckled. "No kidding."

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><p>Another week passed quickly, and Loquin was finally free to do as she wished. Of course, she would always have a fading scar where she was slashed, but that was fine, compared to death. She was working on her farm, hard, when suddenly Ceci and Nicholas ran up to her.<p>

"Loquin, Loquin! Do you know what tomorrow is?" Ceci asked excitedly.

Loquin leaned on her hoe and scratched her head. "Um…a Holiday?" She guessed.

"No! The beaches open tomorrow! Isn't that great? We'll be able to swim! You do know how to swim, right?" Nicholas was jumping around with energy.

"Yes, of course! I think…" She shook her head. "Oh, dang! That means tomorrow is the beginning of summer! I need new crop seeds!" Loquin took off running toward town, leaving Ceci and Nicholas to their own devices.

She blasted into the general store and crashed into Ross, who was carrying a crate full of merchandise. He turned on her. "Loquin!" He roared. "Look at this mess! Watch where you're going!"

She turned red from embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, Ross. I just got too excited, I guess. Do you want my help?"

"Humph. Just get what you need and get out." He proceeded to pick up the various bits of accessories.

Jean crossed his arms. "Ross, be nice! Anyway, what can I do for you, Loquin?"

"I need some summer seeds. I forgot that tomorrow was the beginning of summer, and I need crops to plant." She dug out her money, prepared to pay for any cost.

After she had picked out two of everything, he added up the price, which came to a staggering 4,600 gold. With wide eyes, Loquin dumped the amount on the counter and began to leave.

Ross had begun daydreaming at the mention of the next day being Beaches Open as he cleaned. "Oh yeah… All the girls will be by the beach in their bikinis…" He shivered with happiness.

Loquin felt a chill run down her spine. "What?"

"Yeah, tomorrow is the Beaches Open."

"No, after that."

"All the girls will be by the beach or in the water?"

She shook her head and grabbed both of his shoulders. "No, I meant, what you said about what us girls will be wearing!"

"Oh, that. Only what you're supposed to wear. Bikinis. And with Bill, he'll be wearing his usual gold-plated trunks… I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd say he was, you know…_different_."

Loquin was staring off into space as he ranted about gold trunks. "Oh, that's nice… I don't even have anything to wear, and now this… I don't know if I can even swim!"

Jean chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you are probably a decent swimmer. On the other hand, if you don't mind spending a few more gold coins, I can get you set up with something to swim in."

With a very scarlet face, Loquin went back up to the counter. "Sign me up," She mumbled. Ross was laughing behind her.

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><p>On her way back home, she couldn't help but be embarrassed. It wasn't every day that you just go out and purchase items like this. Fortunately, Cecilia and Nicholas had gone off to play somewhere, and she was left alone.<p>

She went into her house and put the seeds on the shelf. She shuddered as she put the dark blue bikini next to them. Sighing, she flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. A small voice in the back of her head said, "What have I gotten myself into?"

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><p><strong>So freakin' long and SO MANY PAGE BREAKS! Gah, this was a nightmare to edit... At least we're getting to the part where she's not talking to herself so much anymore. <strong>

**Reviews are appreciated! **

**-LoRF**


	7. Ch 6: Dreams

**So sorry it's been forever. I'd like to thank anyone that reads this. Just knowing that someone is reading it makes me feel happy. Please, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Loquin suddenly found herself running through a very advanced, modern city without any recollection as to how she got there or why she was even running in the first place. Tall skyscrapers reached for the sky around her, and the street beneath her feet was paved smooth, very unlike the cobblestone she was used to walking on. All sorts of people rushed about madly, not caring if they bumped into the frightened girl. Many times she was nearly pushed over and she stumbled twice.<p>

Her target that she was apparently running to was a small girl on the street edge. She felt as if she knew this girl; as if she knew her very well. Loquin stopped in front of her, and saw that she was crying.

"It's ok, I'm here…" She whispered, wrapping the girl in her embrace.

"Mom… I'm scared…"

_Wait… Mom?_ Loquin looked down at herself. She found that she no longer wore her normal, everyday clothes. Instead, she wore clothes that looked similar to what Bill and his father would buy: very fancy and _very_ expensive. The small girl in her arms was dressed similarly.

Then Loquin caught sight of her hair. It was short and blonde. She knew that when she woke up every morning it was long, brown, and in a thousand different directions. In fact, that's what color the little girl's was…along with her deep blue eyes that you felt like you could stare into forever…

"I know, Aura, but you have to trust me. I'll get you out of here. You and I won't have to live under your father's failures anymore." Loquin couldn't stop the words before they tumbled out of her mouth. _Aura?_

Aura clung to Loquin. "Where are we going, Mom?"

"Somewhere far away from here… Somewhere where they will never find you." With that, Loquin picked the girl up and began running out of the city.

For a long time they ran. Loquin felt her heart racing; she was excited and confused, though mostly the latter. A searing pain in her shoulder caused her to cry out and stumble. It was followed by another pain in her leg.

She fell to the ground, and little Aura managed to jump out of her embrace before she crashed to the earth. She whirled around swiftly. "Mommy… Are you all right?"

"Aura… I'm sorry… I can't go on…" With gritted teeth, Loquin reached to her shoulder, and ripped out the arrow that pierced it. She did the same to the one in her leg.

"Mom, you said you wouldn't leave me!" Aura began to cry again and held onto Loquin's arm.

Loquin stroked the small girl's hair. "Shh, I know… Be brave, Aura, and no matter what they do, don't let them get to it. Don't let them use your power for evil. You have to save Norad. This idiotic empire doesn't know what they're doing…" She felt her strength slipping away.

"Please, come on, we'll go on together." Aura tugged at her sleeve, trying to pull her upwards.

"You're just like your father; fighters till the end. I'm sorry I can't share that spirit. Aura, know that I love you, ok?"

Aura tugged harder. "Mom, come on! Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry… I just can't…" Loquin was suddenly out of that woman's body and watching the scene. Her blood had spilt onto the ground and she was close to death.

Some soldiers came to get them. They stopped when they saw the sight. One of them shook his head. "Poor Lady Henna. She lived a good life."

The other scoffed. "You idiot, you're the one that shot her! Twice!"

"Oh shut up. Quiet; let her daughter have this moment."

Aura was sobbing and tugging at her mother's arm. "Come on, get up… Please get up…"

It was too late; the woman was dead. Loquin fell to her knees. "No…" She felt tears pooling in her own eyes as she joined Aura in weeping.

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><p>Loquin woke up in a cold sweat, and bolted upright. She fell to the ground with a crash. "Huh?" She rubbed her head where it had hit the floor and looked around.<p>

She was back in her house in Kardia. Nothing had changed, except now it was six o'clock in the morning. "Was that…a memory? Was that girl me?" She whispered, pulling her knees to her chest. _I… I don't understand… What was I supposed to see? Is it just a dream, or…a memory? _She shook her head. _I don't have time to really care. I've got things to do._

With that, Loquin started her day, and pushed the strange dream aside.

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><p><strong>Reviews are, as usual, appreciated. <strong>

**-LoRF  
><strong>


	8. Ch 7: Beaches Open or Summer Love

**Thanks to everyone who reviews(ed) and read(s) this! Hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>The beach was, of course, crowded for the Beaches Open holiday, where everyone just took the day off and played in the sun. Blade walked absently around the sand during this time. He saw Ross sitting on the edge of the pier. "Hey Ross!" He began running to him.<p>

"Hey man! What's up?" Ross grinned and motioned for his friend to join him.

He shrugged as he sat down. "Eh, nothing really. I'm waiting for Loquin."

"Oh, I see. You know, she came into the store yesterday to buy a swimsuit because apparently she didn't have one. Can't wait to see her in it…" Ross shivered pleasantly, a coy smirk on his face.

"Ross!" Blade nudged him roughly. "Don't do stuff like that! It's not, ya know, polite…" He looked away.

"Sounds like you have certain _feelings_ for a certain farm-girl, eh?" Ross teased, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up! Admit it; you like her too."

He stopped to ponder a moment. "Well, as a friend, perhaps. After all, she made a bit of a mess in my shop yesterday. I'm not obsessed with her or anything."

Blade opened his mouth to say something when Mel came up to them and interrupted. "Hey, look who's coming down the path." He jerked his thumb behind him.

They all looked in the general direction of the entrance. As the person walked ever closer, Blade felt himself quite unable, or rather, not wanting to, look away. His eyes traveled up a pair of slender legs that he had so far only seen covered by her normal farming pants. His gaze lingering on the fading scar slicing across her abdomen, he continued to looked upward to take in the face he'd grown all-too fond of seeing.

Loquin approached them with a smile. "Hey guys." Her smile vanished as he caught Blade's staring. "What are you…looking at?"

He shook his head as if in a daze. "I'm not sure, but I like it."

"Blade, my eyes are up here!" She crossed her arms with a grunt of disapproval.

He snapped his head up and smiled apologetically. "Sorry!"

"Since it's a holiday, I'll forget it for now." She looked down at herself. "So I'll assume I look all right. I wasn't quite sure when I bought this…"

"Perfect!" He grinned in earnest, but it disappeared as he saw Selina, Luna, and Carmen walking toward them. "Oh no, here comes the tempest." He suppressed a groan.

Loquin's eyes narrowed dangerously as they approached. "Hello…Selina."

Selina crossed her arms as they arrived. Her right eyebrow rose as she scrutinized the other girl "Oh, Loquin. A bit _showy_ today, aren't we?"

"It was the last one in stock! Cut me some slack!"

Luna smiled, seemingly oblivious to the tension existing between the two. "Don't worry about it; hardship is as hardship does."

"I'm not even going to ask." Loquin turned to Blade. "So, what do we do now?"

He led her to the edge of the pier. "Well, we do this." He looked into the water intently.

She followed his gaze. "No offense, but I have more fun watching crops grow. Is this seriously what you do all day?" Her voice portrayed her doubt.

"Nope." He shoved her into the water. She landed with a cry of surprise and a splash.

Selina burst out laughing at her plight. "Nice going, Blade!"

Loquin resurfaced and climbed back on the pier. "Your turn!" She shoved her into the ocean next.

"That wasn't funny!" She cried as she came back up.

Luna backed away lest she be pushed in next. "I'm not going into the water today. You all have fun." She held her hands up defensively.

Ross took that time to have some fun with the girl. He knew that she was positively smitten with him. "Hey, Luna, you sure you don't want to swim with _me_?" He stretched his arms behind his head, flexing his muscles.

"Well, I suppose a little swim wouldn't hurt…" She bit her lip undecisively.

Meanwhile, Loquin and Selina were staring each other down. "You did that on purpose, Farm Girl."

"Of course I did. Have a problem with that?" She smirked.

"The only problem I have with you is your existence!"

"That can be fixed." Loquin felt her temper begin to flare.

Blade walked up beside them. "I think you both need to _cool down_." He pushed Selina into her, and like dominos, they both were sent toppling into the sea.

Selina popped up first and brushed her hair away from her face. Loquin came next. She turned to the brown-blonde. "What say we have a truce today and go after him for some revenge?"

"I couldn't agree more." Selina nodded.

Both girls jumped from the water and proceeded in making sure that Blade got into the water some way or another. As they did this, Ross kept up his ploy to entertain Luna and Carmen merely watched them all make fools of themselves. By the time the late afternoon rolled by, all of them were soaked.

Loquin sat on the beach, tired. "Well, that was fun. Hey, what's that in the water?"

Blade looked to where she was pointing. There was a light green shell in the water, and apparently Loquin was interested in it. That was good enough excuse for him. "I'll get it."

He dived in the water and swam out to where it was. Taking a deep breath of air, he progressed downward. However, he hadn't realized how deep it was. After his air supply was nearly gone, he broke the water, gasping, to see her laughing at him.

"Run out of air?"

"I'd like to see you try to get it!" He treaded the water over where the shell was.

She waded out and swam to him. "I _will_ try."

She stayed under a little longer then he, but still the shell evaded them. She glared at the object. "It looks so close to the surface!"

He shrugged. "Want to get some from further in? I know we can get those."

"I'll race you!" Loquin splashed him playfully and dashed for the bank.

He grinned and followed suit.

After some time, they had managed to collect quite a few shells, but they were put back for the crabs to use as homes. The two began walking back to the main part of the beach. On the way, Loquin suddenly tripped on a bit of driftwood and cried out, "Blade, watch it!"

He turned around just for her to fall on top of him. Their lips touched and for a few moments of surprise, they stayed that way. It wasn't until Selina shouted, "Blade! Stop _kissing_ her!" that they parted.

Loquin bit her bottom lip as she scrambled to get up. "Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"I-it's fine… I mean, accidents happen, right?" He smiled awkwardly.

Selina was nearly in tears. "Why, Blade? Why her? WHY?!" She ran off, Luna following close behind.

Luke was laughing at them. "Yeah Blade! Go man, go!"

Blade jumped to his feet, ignoring the taunts, and helped Loquin stand. "Are you all right?" He asked softly.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry about that; it was an accident. I didn't mean to—"

"Hey, don't worry about it. This has been the best Beaches Open I've had in years." He grinned, his face brightening.

She began to feel better about the ordeal nodded shyly. Excusing herself, she started for home. She kept her eyes on her feet as she walked along the paths. "That was…awesome." She wished that it hadn't been an accident, but alas, she had to stay true to what Lady Ann had said. She needed to be patient. _Good things come to those who wait…right?_

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><p><strong>-LoRF<strong>


	9. Ch 8: De Saint-Coquille and The Beach

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>The next morning Loquin stretched as she awoke, standing and going to the window. Upon opening it, she noticed there was a bit of fog covering the ground, and she could still smell the rain from the middle of the night. She had definitely heard it in the least.<p>

She yawned once and turned to get changed for the day. Shucking off her sleepwear, she rummaged around in her bureau for some cool working clothes, as the summer sun _would_ be beating down on her all day. After folding her pajamas and making her bed, she deemed herself ready to go.

Fortunately she had the foresight to have taken the time to plant her crops the day before. Admittedly it was hard, as the memory of the day kept dancing through her head and it was all she could do not to run around in ignorant bliss. Eventually the chore was done, however, and she had finally calmed down by the end of the day.

Watering the seeds didn't take nearly as long as she expected. With so much free time, she decided to make a visit to Toby at the mansion. They had become good friends, and he said to come see him whenever she had a monster hut built. Today seemed like as good a time as any to take him up on the offer.

The fog still hung all over the village when she walked into it. It gave everything a misty look, as if the town was possessed. She shook herself and went on. Her boots made dull thudding noises on the cobblestone streets, echoing faintly in the silence.

"That's creepy…" She mused. The mansion did look rather imposing in the half-light and fog. She went to open the door only to find it was locked. Glancing around, she saw something she could use to get to a window, as she was feeling rather desperate to get to him. She climbed up the trellis on the side of the building and tapped on the glass. "Toby! Toby, open up!"

A very sleepy-looking butler came to the window. "Loquin, do you know what time it is?!" He scowled at her.

"Around seven thirty?" She replied innocently.

It was then that he realized exactly what was going on. "What are you doing?"

"I… Well… This is just awkward now…"

He sighed. "Get in here." He opened the window further and pulled her through.

After she was inside, she dusted herself off. "Thanks, Toby. You wanted me to see you after I got a monster hut, remember?"

"I did? Oh yeah, I did. Here." He dug around in a drawer and pulled out a glove. "That's a friendship glove. You can use it to tame monsters."

She took it, and put it on. "Thanks! Now I can get a chipsqueak!"

"Oh, by the way, some monsters help you harvest, water, or are livestock. But others are just for fighting. You'll see once you get a few." Toby stifled a yawn. Although it was seven thirty, he usually didn't get up until a half-hour later.

Loquin smiled at him brightly before her expression turned to one of slight confusion. "Hey, when were you gonna tell me you were an elf?"

Toby reddened. "I wasn't going to, actually. But I guess I may as well, now. So, Loquin, I am an elf!"

"Yeah… I kinda noticed. Your ears are hard to miss. How to you keep them under your hat?"

He grabbed his black hat from the bedside table and put it on. "I just make sure my hair covers it, and then I don't have to worry. Seriously, how odd is it that an elf is working in a human village?"

"About as weird as an amnesiac coming to this town randomly and becoming a farmer here. Oh wait, that's already happened, and it wasn't strange at all." She smiled. "You should be proud to be an elf. Just look at Ceci. She never hides her ears."

"Ceci is an eight-year-old who doesn't know any better." He crossed his arms stubbornly.

She sighed. "Well, whatever. Have a nice day, Toby. I'll see you later." She hoisted herself out of the window and down the trellis again. She jumped the last few feet, bending her knees when she landed so as not to hurt herself.

Toby watched her walk off. "She certainly does have a point…"

Someone rapped on his door. "Toby! Open this door at once!"

He did as told and Bill stormed in. "What are you talking about? Who was in here?"

"No one, Master Bill." Toby looked away.

"You liar! Loquin was in here, wasn't she? _Wasn't she_?!" Bill was fuming. "I don't like the fact that you two are friends."

Toby was shocked. "But, Master Bill, nothing is going on between us!"

"Toby, I can tell you like her. There isn't a man in Kardia that doesn't, for the most part." Bill crossed his arms. "Just make sure that you two stay friends. I don't want you leaving me for her. I don't want to lose my best butler!"

"Of course, sir. Understood."

Bill left then to go back to bed, and Toby sighed heavily. _He's right. Loquin has practically every man eating out of her hands…_

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><p>The bachelors of Kardia soon found out Loquin's habit: she would farm until she could farm no more and then proceed to head straight to the beach for a swim. Coincidentally, the men planned their days to somehow just <em>happen<em> to be there as well.

She was lying back in a lounge chair, hoping to soak up the last rays of the evening sun. A shadow fell over her. She lifted up the sunglasses that Blade had bought for her. "So you won't go blind from the sun," He had said as he had handed them over, rather nervously.

"Yes?" She squinted as she looked up at whoever was bothering her.

"Why, hello there, Loquin. Fancy meeting you here." Mel smiled.

She noticed he had a towel slung over his shoulder, a sure signal he was planning on staying for a while. "You come here every day, at the same time I do, and you always say that." She sighed and went back to tanning. "I'm beginning to think you plan this."

He felt his face flush. "Well, uh… It's not planned. Completely coincidental." He chuckled softly.

"I'm sure. I'll believe that the minute I see a radish the size of Selina's head. And that would be a pretty big radish."

Mel opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as he was able to form words another voice cut in. "Hey Loquin! I didn't know you were here!"

She looked at the newcomer. "Sure you didn't, Luke. I come here every day after I get done working." She glared at them for a moment. "Now, if you don't mind, would you two leave me alone? I want to relax." She settled herself in the chair again, flipping the sunglasses back down.

Luke's shoulder slumped forward so that his reddish-pink hair touched his chest. "Oh… I see."

"Don't worry, man." Mel patted his friend's shoulder and led him to the water. "I guess she doesn't want to hang out with us today."

They both jumped in and began swimming around absent-mindedly, chatting about life. Soon Mel risked a glance over at Loquin. She had turned over on her back. He kept his eyes glued to her. His gaze became much more intense as his imagination began taking over.

Luke took the opportunity to dunk his head under. Mel came shooting back up, sputtering water and cursing at his friend. They both heard a grunt of disapproval. Loquin was standing before them. "You don't need to use that kind of language. _Especially_ not when I'm trying to enjoy myself."

"S-sorry." He felt his face redden at being scolded by a girl no older than himself.

Luke waded through the water until his was standing on the beach. "Hey Loquin! Check this out!" He ran onto the pier. With a bit of a sprinting start, he jumped off the pier edge and did a front flip into the water.

She smiled, obviously impressed. "That's pretty cool, Luke. I don't think I can do that." That was a partial lie; she couldn't do a front flip, but she was quite adept at doing back flips. It was very useful when escaping from a monster.

Mel jumped from the water onto the pier. He wasn't about to be shown up by a nurse. "Oh yeah?! He's not the only one who can do something cool like that!" He dashed off the structure and didn't quite make a complete circle in the air.

He hit the water with a painful smack. Loquin gasped and ran to the edge of the pier. "Mel! Mel, are you ok?!"

She couldn't see him. She quickly dived into the water and looked around. He was floating under the water near her. She swam over to him and dragged him up to the surface. Once she broke the water, she gasped, "Luke!"

The doctor-in-training saw what she was doing. "Pull him up on the beach!"

Soon Mel was lying in the sand. Luke felt for a heartbeat and nodded as soon as he found it. "He's still alive."

"Thank the dragon gods! He scared me to death!" She sat back on her heels, breathing heavily.

Mel began coughing up water. "Huh? Wh-what happened?" He sat up slowly.

"Mel! You worried me! _Don't you ever do something that stupid again!_" Loquin shouted at him.

"I'm sorry!" He shrank beneath her raging gaze.

"What's Pinky sorry about now?" Ross had come onto the scene, his scarlet eyes glinting happily.

"Nothing, Ross. And don't call me Pinky!" Mel seethed. He jumped to his feet to glare at the storekeeper.

Loquin crossed her arms. "You know, Ross, his hair isn't _that_ pink. It has a few streaks of…darker pink." She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Now that she really got a good look at it, his hair was hopelessly and undeniably _pink_.

"Heh, yeah. And you said that my hair would never darken. Now look at it!" Luke shook his wet hair in Mel's face proudly.

"_It's still pink_!"The bath owner shouted.

"Guys, come on. No one cares whose hair is pinker…" She giggled, "…or not. All right? Besides, if we're really going to start a fight over this, we all know I would win. Girls are just naturally more adept at that."

Ross nodded. "She's right, you know. Just ask Carmen or Luna. They'll agree."

"Carmen…" Mel sighed her name softly, his gaze shooting off into space. Luke simply smiled as he thought about the other farm girl. Then, the two boys glared at one another in realization.

Luke coughed nervously. "Uh, I mean… Yeah, Carmen! Ugh, I can't stand her, she's so annoying! I can't believe I have to work for her dad!"

"Hey! Don't talk about her that way!" Mel gritted his teeth. "Carmen is a wonderful person! She's not annoying, and you should be honored to work for her father!"

Loquin raised an eyebrow. She turned to Ross. "Do they…?"

"Always have." He crossed his arms as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"I see… Wonder who's gonna win her?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess only time will tell."

She nodded as she watched the two boys argue over whether Carmen was either annoying or wonderful, which then turned into whether she was beautiful or just "kinda cute", until finally it escalated into just plain arguing.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated!<strong>

**Hoping the next chapter won't take as long to edit, **

**LoRF**


	10. Ch 9: Chippy the Chipsqueak

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Loquin took a deep breath, her eyes following the orb that shot to the sky. Instead of the First Forest, she knew it was headed to the monster hut waiting on her farm. She smiled slightly. "My first monster…" Her gaze flitted back to the remaining chipsqueak in the room as it slept soundly. <em>I think I'll name him Chippy<em>.

Putting the Friendship Glove in her bag, she teleported back home quickly. The sun hung considerably lower in the sky from when she first left for the cave. She glanced at it one last time over her shoulder before heading to the hut. Upon slowly opening the door, she saw Chippy cowering in the corner. He whined fearfully as she approached and tried to make himself as small as possible.

She got down on her knees and sat back on her heels. "Don't be scared; I won't hurt you," She murmured sweetly. "Come on, c'mere, Chippy." She held out her bare hand for him.

He walked toward her a little, his tail curled around his small body and his ears flat against his head. He whimpered and backed up, hesitant. Loquin patiently kept her hand out. "Come on, little guy. I promise I won't bite." She twitched her fingers in a gesture for him to come forward.

Once again he stepped toward her. He sniffed her hand once, and circled her curiously. She didn't move, but stayed in one spot and followed him with her gaze. Once he was done, he sat in front of her. She giggled. "Do I pass the test?"

He nodded and scampered into her lap. She was surprised at his sudden trust, but gently petted his red fur. He purred contentedly. She noticed how much smaller he was as he relaxed. She could have easily held him in her hands.

The door to the hut suddenly opened and Blade walked in. "Loquin?" He spotted her sitting on the floor.

She turned to him, getting to her feet and dusting off her pants. Chippy jumped before her with his teeth bared. His fur stood on end and he growled. Blade chuckled. "I see you got an attack chipsqueak."

"Yes, I did." She smiled slightly before looking at her new pet. "Chippy, it's all right. He's a friend."

The animal didn't move. He only growled louder and with more ferocity.

"Maybe I can get him to stop. I'm pretty good with monsters." Blade knelt by the bristling monster and held his hand out. "All right, joke's over, Chippy. I'm harmless."

Chippy knew only that he had to protect his mistress. He launched himself at Blade's hand with a small roar and bit down with his sharp teeth, tearing into the startled man's flesh. He tasted the faint hint of blood on his tongue but continued to hold fast.

"Chippy! Bad monster! Let go of Blade!" Loquin scolded him.

He let go and scampered back, positioning himself between Loquin's legs. She nudged him roughly with her boot. "Bad chipsqueak! No!" Her arms were crossed as she glared down at him.

He whimpered in confusion. Hadn't he done what he was supposed to? He watched as she approached Blade timidly.

"Are you…all right? He didn't hurt you badly, did he?" She asked softly.

Blade rubbed his palm. "You have a psycho chipsqueak!" He shot a glare at the offending beast.

"I just got him today. Come on, let me see." She held out her hand for his.

He laid his palm in hers. She felt over the bite marks on the back of his hand. "Ouch, that looks like it hurts… Let's see what I can do." She smiled as a light pink hue covered her cheeks.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He looked into her eyes with a nod.

Chippy began to understand then. He could feel the tension between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable tension, by any means; rather, it was warm, and the small animal glanced from one human to the other. He sensed the undying devotion the male held toward her, and in return he felt the compassion she showed in regard to him. They…were in deep affection with each other.

The pair turned to leave the hut. Narrowing his eyes, Chippy ran to weave in and out of Loquin's legs, causing her to trip. Blade caught her against him with a grunt and she looked up into his face. Her own was a delicate shade of crimson. "I-I'm sorry. I guess I'm a bit clumsy." She giggled nervously in an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation.

"Not a problem." He smiled slightly down at her.

She noticed that her hands were against his chest and she pushed away, embarrassed. "Right… Anyway, shall we go in the house? Err, _my_ house?"

"Ladies first." Blade motioned to the doorway.

Loquin smiled and walked out. Blade looked back at the chipsqueak. "Thanks…" He winked before turning to follow the girl.

Chippy ran in a circle and bobbed his head up and down. Now that he realized the situation, suddenly Blade didn't seem like such a bad person; especially since he had a feeling he would be coming around a lot more often.

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><p>A few days after Chippy was brought to his new home, he began to crave different foods. Loquin fed him well with monster feed, but that wasn't what he wanted. He would venture outside the monster hut, sniffing around for anything else to eat. As it was summer, the only other food on the ground was decorative grasses and the crops his mistress grew.<p>

Loquin came in the hut one morning, brush in hand. He scampered up to her eagerly. He liked it when she brushed him. As she sat down near him he jumped into her lap. She ran the brush over his fur thoughtfully.

"Chippy, I'm going to be gone most of the day, all right? Don't get into any trouble. I know you like going away from the hut."

He seemed to nod. She smiled. "Do you understand me?"

He nodded again and pawed at her hand, which was raised in mid-stroke. She continued brushing. After some time she stood up and dusted herself off. "All right. See you later, Chippy."

The chipsqueak watched her leave. Then he began his daily sniffing. He found himself wandering outside into the bright sunshine.

_Food, food, food… I smell bamboo sprouts there, but there aren't any now… I don't want corn…_ He continued snooping around.

Suddenly, his nose bumped into a stone that was in the ground. He sat back, rubbing his snout with a tiny paw. _What was that?_ He wondered. _Oh! I must have run into town… But Master told me not to go there…_ He took a big sniff. _I smell something good. I'm sure she won't mind if I go explore for a little bit._

So, he shook himself, bushed up his tail, and strolled into Kardia.

He looked around at first. _Everything is so big!_ He heard distinct yelling from his left.

A young woman was being shoved out of the store. "B-but Ross! I'm not doing anything wrong! You can't do this to me!" She protested.

The man was looking at her angrily. "You're scaring away my customers! Out, Luna!" Then he slammed the door in her face.

She sighed heavily. Chippy sat down in front of her. She gasped. "A monster!"

He didn't move, just tilted his head at her and squeaked. She smiled slightly. "But you're a nice monster, aren't you?" She bent down to pet him. He curved under her hand, letting her feel over his fur.

Too soon she got up to leave. "See you later, little chipsqueak."

He stood on the street, pouting. _No food from her. I guess I should keep looking._ He put his nose to the ground again and moved toward the right. He smelled something good wafting from the tavern, but it was closed, so when he was scratching at the door no one came to answer. He continued on sullenly.

Chippy was so intent on his work that he didn't see that he was coming to a small staircase. He tumbled down them, paw over paw, until he came to rest on the warm sand of the beach. Two small shadows fell over him.

One was a little girl with pointy ears, and the other was a boy with purplish hair and ragged clothes. The girl was the one that picked him up gently. "Look Nicholas! It's a chipsqueak!"

"How did it get here?"

"I don't know… Do you think he's hurt?"

"He looks fine to me."

Chippy squeaked as he squirmed away from the girl. She dropped him and he scampered off. He stopped only when he was on the other side of the beach. _No one picks me up but Master! Or if they have food. But they didn't have food…_

He looked around, scrutinizing everything he saw. Something moving under the water's surface caught his curious eye. _Is that food?_ He ran to where the shape was and jumped in the water.

The movement was only a sardine, so when he jumped near it the fish swam off. Chippy waded back to shore, dripping wet. He shook himself dry. His fur fluffed up around him.

"Ugh! Toby, get that disgusting rat out of here!"

Chippy looked at the source of the insult. He growled menacingly at the man with the shiny swim trunks.

Another, kinder looking, man stepped up beside him. "Master Bill, that's just a wet chipsqueak, not a rat."

"I don't care what it is! Get it away from me!" The man, Bill, shouted.

His friend sighed. He went over to Chippy and picked him up gently. The disgruntled, wet, and hungry chipsqueak snarled angrily. "Eep!" He barked. _Put me down!_

Chippy was carried to the top of the staircase and then set down. The man turned on his heel and walked back to the beach. _Finally! Now, to keep looking for food!_

Once again he put his nose to work as he continued sniffing around. This time, when he came to steps, he leapt up them and then put his snout to the ground. He stopped as he smelled monsters…and monster feed.

Two farms, side by side, where near him. One was closed, but the other one was open and the girl who owned it was working. At first, Chippy thought that the girl was Loquin, what with her similar working clothes. When he skipped over to her, however, he saw that she most definitely _wasn't_ Loquin.

The girl did stop to see him, though. "Huh? Oh, hey there. Aren't you straying a bit far from Carmite Cave?"

Chippy ran in a circle and stood on his hind legs. He squeaked happily, hungrily. _Feed me! Please!_

"Wait… Are you Loquin's chipsqueak?"

He nodded. _Yes! Can you please feed me now?!_

"Heh, people are going to be thinking that you're a wild beast if you keep running around town. Hm, maybe I have something to help with that…" She disappeared into her house for a moment.

_She's getting me food!_ He foolishly thought.

When she came back, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Instead of something to eat, he felt something latch around his neck. He panicked for a moment until he saw that she had put a leather collar with a small bronze tag on him. "Loqiun's chipsqueak" was written on it.

"I don't know what she named you, but I guess she can put that on there later. Now, you better get going. She might be wondering where you went."

Chippy walked out of her farm, his tail dragging the ground. He felt hungry, insulted, and embarrassed. He was thankful that no other chipsqueaks could see him now.

Suddenly, his nose picked up on a tantalizing smell. He lifted his head in the air, trying to find where it was coming from. When he found it, he sprinted off in that direction.

He skidded to a halt in the park. There it was. The food that he wanted all along. Lying in a clump of wildflowers in the overgrown and unkempt garden beds was an acorn. He ran to it and hugged it to his chest. _Finally! Food!_

He carried it all the way home, squeaking happily. He dashed in the monster hut, hid the acorn under a pile of hay that he used to sleep in, and walked back outside proudly to wait for Loquin.

He didn't have to wait long, either, for she came walking up the path a few scant minutes after he returned home. He ran to her and dashed up her leg to sit on her shoulder. She petted him with her free hand. "Hey there, Chippy. Have a good day today?"

"Eep eep!" He nuzzled her ear.

She felt something cold scrape across her skin. She set him down and looked at his new collar. "Where did you get this?"

He ran in a circle cutely.

"Did you go into town?"

He ran again, but slower. He didn't like the tone her voice was taking on…

"Chippy! Bad boy! You get in that monster hut and _you stay there_! Get!" She shoved him with her boot none too gently.

He sulked away slowly, his ears pressed against him and his tail tagging along in the dirt. He looked up at her and whined. She pointed to the hut. "Now, Chippy!"

Chippy ran to the hut. He plopped down on the hay dejectedly. His acorn burned a hole in his bed under him. He took it in his mouth and headed to the door. As soon as he began to push it open, he heard, "Stay in there!"

He went back to his bed. His lay down and curled around the blasted acorn that started all this. Suddenly he wasn't so hungry anymore. He just wanted Loquin to love him again. He whimpered in self-pity.

* * *

><p>Some time later the door to the hut opened. He was half-asleep, and his drowsy eyes saw the familiar dark brown boots that he knew so well. He felt himself being pulled into a pair of warm arms. His paws reached out to his acorn.<p>

It was given to him. He held it close and huddled against the person holding him. He knew he was being taken somewhere, but he was so tired that he just didn't care. Soon he heard the thunk of boots on wood flooring.

He was put down on a soft bed. Then someone lay down next to him. He smelled the soap that she used when she went to the bathhouse. She yawned and whispered, "Love you, Chippy."

He could hear her breathing slow to an even rhythm as she fell asleep. Then, as he pushed his acorn over the side of the bed for now, he buried his nose in his tail and felt himself drift off into his unconsciousness.


End file.
